Chapter II

"Welcome back, Cara." A deep voice said just as she was regaining consciousness. Cara swallowed hard, tasting blood, as her blurred vision fought to refocus. "Your sisters and I have missed you." Raising her head slowly, Cara took in the sight of the man she hated most in all the territories grinned up at her. Nostrils flaring in anger, Cara jerked forward in an attempt to reach him. The chains that held her in place jingled in response and she remained immobile.

"Someone's a bit agitated." The sound of Dahlia's voice only angered Cara further. As the woman stepped into view, Cara tried again to reach out and grab her. Dahlia merely laughed at the attempt.

"Untie me and I'll show you just how agitated I am." Cara growled at her "sister". Dahlia took a step closer, eyes taking in the sight of her mostly naked body.

"You can't even stand." Dahlia reminded her, part of the arrow still set in Cara's thigh. "Besides, Lord Rahl has a much more…suitable plan for you."

"I'll show you exactly where you and your Lord Rahl can stick your plan." Cara anticipated the blow from Dahlia but not the laughter that erupted from the man behind her. Dahlia stepped out of the way as Rahl approached her, taking a bruised jaw into his hands and attempting to soothe the blow with his caress. Cara would've vomited had there been anything in her stomach.

"Fierce, as always." Rahl smiled as he looked into Cara's bright blue eyes. "I'm so glad to have you back, Cara. Your ferocity is crucial to what I have planned for you."

"Whatever you want," Cara breathed against his face, "I will never help you again."

"Never say never, my dear." Rahl smoothed a finger over Cara's lips, eyes drawn to the cut on them that reopened as he did.

"Richard, Kahlan, and Zedd will find you," she raised an eyebrow, "and they will humiliate you again." Rahl's chuckle unnerved her, as if he knew something she didn't.

"The Seeker and Wizard are far too busy to concern themselves with the likes of you, Cara. You're not that important." He assured her. "As for the Mother Confessor, I think you'll agree that her finding us isn't exactly in the cards." Cara's heart froze as a woman in rags was dragged in and deposited on the floor. The chains around her wrists and ankles clanked as she struggled to rise to her knees. When she did, Cara found herself face to face with a dirtied and bruised Kahlan. The two held each other's gaze as a strained 'Cara' left the Confessor's lips. The brunette made a move to stand and approach her friend only to be forced back down as Dahlia stepped on the chain connecting her wrists.

"Lay a hand on her and I'll-"

"You'll what, Cara?" Dahlia dared, turning back to face her former friend. "Kill me? Go ahead. Try. Prove to everyone once and for all which side you're truly on."

"There are only two sides." Kahlan drew her attention away from Cara. "The living and the dead. Right now, you're all fighting for the wrong one."

"The Keeper is on the verge of winning." Cara continued, looking around at each and every Mord'Sith. "The war is over. You were all set free months ago when this vermin died."

"Careful, Cara." Rahl threatened. "I may have died but now I've returned to retake my rightful place."

"Your spirit has returned." Cara reminded him. "But it's your body that was once the magic against magic. Tell me, Lord Rahl, how do you plan on protecting the people of D'Hara with no magic at your disposal?" Taught at a young age the ways of D'Haran politics, Cara knew that the people relied on the presiding Lord Rahl to be the magic against magic. In return, they were the steel against steel that defended the House of Rahl.

"I don't need magic to be a great ruler." Rahl tried to assure her. Cara almost laughed out loud.

"You weren't a great ruler with magic." She jeered. "The Seeker killed you and took your throne as easily as you could take a toy from an infant."

"Because of you." Rahl snarled. "The Seeker won because you betrayed me and, in the process, betrayed your sisters."

"You and I both know that what I did, I did to save them." Cara narrowed her gaze at the man. "The future where you got what you want- where you won…that wasn't a place anyone would like to be. Not even you."

"Liar!" Dahlia barked, her anger at the supposed treachery flaring once more. "You'd say anything to save her skin."

"You know what Dahlia," Cara acknowledged her, "I don't care if you believe me or not. The important thing is that that future will never come to pass."

"No," Rahl interrupted, "the important thing is that now, I have all the ingredients I need to complete my revenge on you, the Seeker, the Wizard, and the Mother Confessor."

"Whatever your plan is," Kahlan's voice drew Rahl's attention to her which was, admittedly, something she did not want, "you will fail." The tyrant offered her a smile as he approached. Kahlan could already hear the chains holding Cara in place clinking together as she grew anxious by his proximity to her.

"Oh Kahlan," he said softly, "your loyalty and devotion to the Seeker is touching. However, you won't have to worry about him much longer." Kahlan's stomach lurched at the veiled threat.

"What have you done to him?" She snarled, her body tensing as he reached out to stroke her cheek.

"Nothing." Rahl's fingers ghosted over her lips and Kahlan tossed her head to the side. "The Seeker will be allowed to complete his quest and save the world from evil once again. Like you said, we can't have the Keeper destroying all life now, can we?"

"Convenient that you feel that way after you've been resurrected." Kahlan said. "Before that, I recall you working quite tirelessly to kill us all- Mord'Sith and D'Harans included."

"You, of all people, will not be able to turn my Mord'Sith against me, Kahlan." Rahl guaranteed her.

"They don't need my help. They'll turn against you because you're an evil, sadistic, selfish-" Kahlan's insults were cut short as Rahl spun on his heel and landed a hard backhand to her cheek. To the surprise of almost everyone, Kahlan didn't make a sound. She simply turned her head back and glared at the man as he grabbed onto the collar of the rag she had been forced to wear. Lifting her up, Kahlan almost regretted baiting him as she took in the wild look in his eyes. Rahl reached a hand out and Dahlia was quick to place her Agiel into his open palm.

"You might be accustomed to doing and saying whatever you want with no regard for consequences," Rahl looked her up and down, the look in his eyes making Kahlan nauseous, "but here, you will learn to hold your tongue." As Rahl raised his hand to strike her with the Agiel, Cara's voice cried out.

"Don't!" She found herself yelling before she could stop. While the outburst had caused Rahl to pause, the Agiel less than an inch from Kahlan's face, Cara was unsure as to what she could say to keep her friend from further harm.

"And why not?" Rahl didn't look away from the brunette, relishing in the small amount of fear he could make out in her eyes.

"Because it's me you want." Cara was sure of her words. "I'm the one who ruined everything for you. I'm the one who got you killed and forced you into months of servitude to the worst being in all of creation. I'm the one you want to hurt." Slowly, Kahlan could see that her words had an effect on Rahl. He released her and lowered his weapon, eyes still trained on hers.

"Cara-"

"Quiet, Kahlan." Her friend ordered. "Hurting her won't make you feel any better."

"You're right." Rahl's voice was low as he turned to face the blonde. Kahlan's wide eyes fell on her friend, tears already making an appearance as she knew she would be forced to watch whatever happened next. Cara, however, remained unmoving, her gaze fixed solely on Rahl as he stopped directly in front of her.

"Come then." She lifted an eyebrow. "Or are you afraid they'll see just how weak you really are?" Cara waited for the blow to come and was surprised when Rahl remained still, breathing deeply as if attempting to control his temper.

"I have a better idea." He told her, unlocking the shackles around her wrists without lowering her to the floor. As Cara was released, she landed on her feet but fell to her knees as the arrow in her thigh protested angrily. The Mord'Sith surrounding her moved in closer, wary of her every move given her proximity to Rahl. Perplexed, Cara slowly rose to her feet and waited for him to explain. "Fight them."

"And why would I do that?" Cara tilted her head in mock amusement as she tried to figure him out.

"I'll make you a deal:" he handed a confused looking Dahlia back her Agiel, "fight them and the longer you last, the longer Kahlan will remain unharmed."

"No!" Kahlan shouted, earning herself a glare from Cara. "Cara, you don't have to do this. I'm not afraid of him."

"I know." The blonde told her friend. "But we're in this mess because of me and I'm not going to let them hurt you."

"Cara, no! We're here because of me!" Kahlan cried. "I'm the one who convinced you to trust her- that this trip was worth it."

"And you were right." Cara swallowed hard. "It would've been worth it." Kahlan's heart jumped at hearing her admit it.

"How…heartbreaking." Rahl chuckled, accompanied by several Mord'Sith. Cara hardened her gaze as she returned it to his pale eyes. "Now, let's see you prove to your sisters just how much more important the Mother Confessor's life is to you than theirs."

"No," Cara surprised them all, "I'm not going to hurt them."

"You're going to have to defend yourself, Cara." Rahl insisted. "Otherwise, I don't think you'll last very long."

"That's my problem." He recalled those exact words when the two had met in the Underworld. "I'm not going to hurt my sisters for your amusement."

"Fine then." Rahl shrugged, uncaring. Either way, he was getting what he wanted. "Don't fight back. I doubt you'll find much clemency regardless." Rahl stepped away, motioning for the five surrounding sisters to move in on her. They did so without hesitation.

"Cara, please!" Kahlan cried as the women in red surrounded her friend. "They're not your sisters anymore. They don't care about you!" Cara ignored her as she saw Dahlia step forward.

"I can't believe how far you've fallen." Dahlia shook her head slowly. "Not only are you willing to take a beating for a Confessor but you won't even fight back? Coward." Dahlia spat in Cara's face before quickly winding back a fist and connecting it with Cara's gut. The blonde doubled over in silence, resuming the same position when she could remain upright.

"You're what everyone was so impressed with?" Another Mord'Sith came up behind her. "Lord Rahl's right hand, never beaten, always itching for a fight? Give me a break." The woman grabbed what little could be seen of the arrow in Cara's thigh and yanked it out, forcing Cara down on one knee. Feeling the blood dripping down her leg, Cara urged herself to stand. Over Dahlia's left shoulder, she could see Kahlan already crying as Rahl forced her to watch. Just as she was about to offer the Confessor a reassuring grin, Cara felt her arms being yanked behind her back as someone held her in place.

"Fight back, damn you!" Dahlia roared, landing one, two, three punches to Cara's face and body. Her step faltered and Cara knew that the only thing keeping her standing was the Mord'Sith behind her.

"I don't want to hurt you." Cara breathed, lifting her gaze up to meet Dahlia's. If she could trust her vision more, Cara would've sworn that she saw the ghost of tears swimming in the woman's eyes as she wound back another fist and hit her temple. The woman behind her let go and Cara fell to the ground, momentarily dazed and unsure which way was up. She could hear Kahlan's faint sobs in the background as she continued to beg her to fight back. Slowly, Cara brought herself to her knees. She looked around at the women she had once called family and took in their looks of hatred and disgust. While she knew she wasn't going to change any of their minds like this, Cara simply couldn't bring herself to truly betray her sisters. She knew, in her heart, that if they knew the truth, they would support her. Unfortunately, there was no way to show them what she had witnessed during her journey to the future. Until she could prove it to them, Cara knew they would hate her. As she began to bring herself to her feet, Cara felt an elbow make contact with her back, forcing her back down once more. The moment she hit the ground, a handful of kicks were administered to her chest and back. A well placed kick to her chin caused her to roll completely around, stars dancing in her vision as she tried to collect herself. Blood pooled in her mouth and she spit it out, rubbing her forehead on the hard ground in an attempt to rouse herself. As it turned out, she didn't need help as Dahlia reached down and heaved her upright.

"Why are you doing this?" the brunette asked. "Why go through this for her?" Cara was sure now- those were tears in Dahlia's eyes.

"Because," Cara heaved, "she's my family too." The realization that Cara cared for Kahlan just as much, if not more, than she cared for her caused Dahlia to snap. With a cry of anger, she forced Cara back against the stone wall. She rained blow after blow on her as the others watched. When she became tired of that, her hands wrapped tightly around Cara's thin neck, her grip hard enough to turn her hands white within seconds. Cara remained still, her mouth opening slightly as she struggled for oxygen.

"After everything we've been through," Dahlia growled, her grip increasing, "you chose her?!" Cara's head merely lolled to the side, unable to gather the strength necessary to claw her way out of the death grip around her neck.

"She's killing her!" Kahlan cried, struggling against Rahl's tight hold on her. She knew that if someone's throat took significant damage, the Breath of Life wouldn't work. "Rahl, do something! Stop her!" Rahl waited several more seconds before motioning for the others to pry Dahlia off of Cara. As they did, Cara slumped to the floor, her lungs burning as she strained to draw breath. Kahlan broke free from Rahl and ran to her friend's side as quickly as she could. Gently, she rolled Cara over and took in the multitude of cuts and bruises adorning her face and body. More tears surfaced as she saw just how hard Cara was trying to refrain from coughing, knowing that it would only cause more pain.

"Well," Rahl announced, "that was amusing." Kahlan raised her teary glare at him. "Fair warning, Kahlan: if you confess any more of my Mord'Sith, I assure you that the fate you bestow on them will be inflicted on Cara, tenfold. Take them." It took two Mord'Sith to lift Cara up and begin dragging her down the stone hall. Kahlan was given a hard shove when she remaining unmoving, choosing instead to glare at Rahl a little longer. As she was escorted to the dungeon, Kahlan made a mental note of every hallway, every door, and every window in the temple. One of the Mord'Sith caught her eye and smirked.

"No one's ever escaped a Mord'Sith temple." She informed her. "And these places used to hold up to thirty prisoners at a time. What chance do you think you have when there's only two of you for us to watch?"

"I suppose we'll find out, won't we?" Kahlan practically hissed back. The woman's smirk was gone as she gave Kahlan another forceful shove. Finally, a door swung open and Kahlan saw the two Mord'Sith in front of her drop Cara unceremoniously inside the cell. Kahlan was then thrust inside quickly after and the door slammed shut behind her.

"Enjoy the accommodations, Mother Confessor." One of the women taunted, resulting in a volley of laughter from the others. Soon enough, their footsteps could no longer be heard and Kahlan was left alone with an unconscious Cara.